


Broken and Beaten

by shark_galaxy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Injuries, SO MUCH FLUFF, angsty fluff, fluffy fluff fluff, idk - Freeform, klance, not much fluff at first but more later on, trigger warning?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-07-28 18:13:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7651351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shark_galaxy/pseuds/shark_galaxy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was going to get Keith back, and he was going to slaughter anyone that got in his way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Diplomatic Mission

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this idea on tumblr and it blew up so here we are! This is my first ever fic so sorry if there are lots of mistakes. Enjoy!

It was supposed to be a diplomatic mission. There wasn't supposed to be any Zarkon, Galra, or any forming of Voltron whatsoever. The Paladins were prepared to visit whatever lived here and add them to the small, but growing Voltron Alliance. No one was wearing any armor; they didn't even take their lions down to the planet. But now here was Lance, in the midst of an ambush by Galra soldiers. Zarkon must have known that they were headed here. He must've set this whole thing up. He had no clue how the Galra could've known, maybe they had intercepted something on the communicators. That must be it. There was no one here who wanted to join the alliance. Lance couldn't help but think that the people they were set up to meet were all dead or captured, and his stomach filled with dread. He was shaken out of these thoughts by a laser blast just missing the side of his head. He dodged and avoided attacks left and right, trying to find the others. Pidge and Keith were the only ones that brought their bayards, saying that they had to be prepared for anything. He had to push away the slight annoyance that Keith was actually right about something, because there were three more blasts of purple lasers hurtling towards him, radiating heat. He rolled away, frantically looking for anyone that could help him.

“Pidge!” He cried out, getting a glimpse of exactly how badass the young paladin could be in battle. They had shot their weird grappling hook-dagger thingy (Lance had no fucking clue how to describe it) through one of the Galra and was using them as a sort of wrecking ball, knocking them into the other soldiers. They'd then use the grappling hook to launch themself at several enemies at once, then start repeatedly stabbing them them. Pidge could probably take down Shiro if they really wanted to. Their agility far surpassed that of the black paladin. All they'd have to do is avoid his arm, last until he was winded, then go in the offense. Not to mention Pidge probably was the smartest paladin, excelling at programming and engineering. Lance was just now realizing how terrifying they could be, if they really wanted to.

When Pidge heard Lance, they whipped their head around and sprinted towards him, dodging lasers like it was nothing.

“We have to get back to the ship, Lance! Allura and Coran are ready to leave!” Pidge gasped, reaming a Galra straight through their stomach.

“What about Hunk and Shiro?!” Lance replied, struggling to catch his breath.

“They're already there! Let's go!” Pidge grabbed his hand and easily fought through the hordes of soldiers. They'd quickly disable any Galra that caused a commotion. It wasn't very hard since most of the soldiers seemed more occupied with the orders coming through their helmets. Lance strained to listen to them, but couldn't hear anything. It was only when he got to the loading bay of the pod that the sudden realization hit him like an asteroid.

“Keith,” He couldn't believe himself. “Keith! Pidge what happened to Keith!?”

Pidge processed what Lance had said, then turned to look at the scene unfolding before them.

Keith was a beast in combat. During training, he always moved with precision. Every move he made, every step he took was carefully planned. He was an impeccable swordsman, and moved with such fluidity and grace that Lance couldn't help but stare when he sparred against the Gladiator. He could take out three Galra in one move. He had even beat Shiro a few times. Shiro. Lance had found himself watching Keith training a few times, his attention captured by the sweat dripping down his face, how he'd occasionally sweep his soft black hair out of his field of view. He'd let Keith take over his mind, then shake him out when he would catch Lance staring. His face would be engulfed with red, and he'd briskly exit the room. Then Keith would go back to his pushing what had just happened out of his thoughts and focusing on the Gladiator.

Lance had never seen Keith fight like he was during the ambush. He was obviously overwhelmed, and he was swinging his sword at practically anything that was in his field of view. He was reckless and wasn't looking to disable his enemies, but just looking to hit something. When Lance had seen him fight other times, he was mostly calm and collected. Now, he fought like a savage beast. He was fighting for his life.

And he was losing.

Keith was barely managing to keep the soldiers from landing any fatal blows, swinging his sword in wide arcs around him. But, they kept advancing, kept creeping nearer and nearer. Lance could see that he was tired, and running out of stamina. He was getting sluggish, sloppy. Out of nowhere, a soldier came up from behind and kicked him in the back of the knee, sending Keith crumbling to the ground. Several others pinned him and put their guns to his head. Lance felt tears well up in his eyes, his feet frozen to the cold steel of the loading bay.

“Keith,” he whimpered, the tears starting to tumble down his face.

The last thing Lance saw of him was a soldier slamming his head into the ground.

______________________________

  
It took Allura, Hunk, and Shiro to keep Lance from running back into the fight. They grabbed for him as he started towards Keith, his screams so mournful that Pidge had to cover their ears. At first it was just Shiro, but Lance was so full of rage, sadness, and adrenaline that it took the two other strongest members of team Voltron to keep him from throwing himself back into the frenzy of Galra. He wailed at them all to let him go, to let him go after Keith. Instead, Coran just closed the bay doors and piloted the ship off of the planet.

Lance was still in disbelief. To him, Keith was an impossibly great soldier, both aggressive and beautiful. To see him be defeated like that made his heart shatter. “How could you let this happen?!” Lance cried, “How could you let him get taken?!” His mind was a jumbled mess, memories flooding his thoughts. He remembered when he and Keith had been rivals at Garrison, how they'd bicker and fight non stop. He remembered seeing Keith blush when he had first put on his Voltron armor. He even remembered when Pidge had taken back the castle, when Keith had gripped his hand and cradled him in his arms. He remembered the smile on his face when he had realized that he was okay. He remembered Keith's hands running through his his singed brown hair. He remembered the fuzzy feeling that had enveloped him, how he unconsciously pressed himself closer to Keith, feeling his heartbeat so close to him. He remembered all of it, and he would never admit it.

And now he could be gone. Forever. Lance had somehow managed to collect himself and was huddled in a corner, letting all these thoughts settle in. He felt a hand gently shake him. He looked up and saw Hunk, eyes puffy from crying.

“C’mon Lance, we're back now, let's get something to eat.” He let Hunk help him to his feet and guide him to the dining room. Coran quickly set out plates of the green food blobs they ate every night, avoiding Lance’s eyes. They all ate in dead silence, tears still rolling down his cheeks. Pidge was nowhere to be found, probably immersing themself in their computer. Everyone in Voltron had a different way of dealing with grief. For Pidge, it was consecutive days without sleep working on something. For Coran and Allura, it used to be talking to King Alfor, but that wasn't possible anymore after the crystal had taken over the castle. All they have is each other, and they tended to keep to themselves, speaking in hushed whispers whenever necessary. Shiro would train, pushing himself to limits he didn't know were possible to reach. Hunk was a crier, and could spend days just sobbing. Lance would try and lighten things up for everyone else; he needed to be there for them. But now, he couldn't even cheer himself up. He was alone with his thoughts, which could be dangerous. It was then he remembered how Keith dealt with grief.

Keith would spend hours training with the Gladiator, but not with the same intent as Shiro. He would release all his stress and anger, not worrying about his form or what moved he needed to work on. His cute (cute?) brown eyes would suddenly become dark. His thin black v-neck would stick to his chest from being drenched with sweat. He would yell and curse with every cut, every slice, and by the time he was done, Coran and Pidge had to reprogram the Gladiator software. Lance had witnessed this flurry of anger twice before. He just barely had time to slip away from the training deck before Keith caught him staring. He pondered how someone who could be so adorable (adorable?!) at times could also fight with such ferocity. The thought of seeing him broken and battered sitting in a Galra prison made Lance’s stomach churn.

He couldn't take any more of this. He stood up from the table and announced with a shaking voice, “I have to go after him.”

The room went silent, looks of shock and surprise crossing his teammates faces. Allura slowly rose, shaking, and took a while thinking about how to respond. “O-okay Lance. Coran and I just need to figure out how to find his coordinates and-”

“I can't wait that long!” Lance raised his voice in frustration. “By then he could be dead! Don't you guys care about him?!”

Shiro stood up next. “Lance, we're all upset too, and we all want to get Keith back alive, but we have to approach this rationally. We have no clue where he is, or where he could be. We're all trying.”

Lance’s brain was getting crowded again, and he didn't really know how to respond. He knew that Allura and Shiro wanted to help, but he couldn't help but think that they could be doing more. Then the thought of what Zarkon and his men could be doing to Keith crossed his mind. Keith has always been hard to break, but he knew that the Galra could make him snap. The tears came again, and Lance briskly left the table, for fear of letting any of them coddle him again. He only knew one thing was for certain.

He was going to get Keith back, and he was going to slaughter anyone that got in his way.

 


	2. An Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance needed a plan. And someone to confirm what he thought might be true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally much longer, but I cut it down a lot. Also, Pidge is a savage.

He had rushed out of the dining hall, not knowing exactly what he was going to do next. Lance had to get away. He was overwhelmed by his thoughts about Keith, Shiro and Allura shooting nervous looks at each other, and the small, yet present idea that maybe the red paladin meant much more to him than he originally thought. Tears flooded down his face, blurring his vision. He couldn't help thinking that this was somehow his fault, that maybe if he had brought his bayard or had found Keith before moving to the pod, then maybe everyone would've gotten back to the castle safely. Then they would've planned a strike on the now Galra filled planet, saved the planet, and be able to look back on this whole “diplomatic mission” and laugh. And hey, maybe Lance would've confessed about his crush (crush!!??) on Keith, and they could live a happy life together after they were finished with this saving the universe shtick. They could go back to Earth, maybe open up an auto garage or something. Maybe a restaurant, yeah that'd be fun. They could get married, adopt some kids, and spend the rest of their days with each other without having to worry about by over glorified purple cats.

But now none of that could ever happen. And Lance blamed himself.

He ended up in the training deck, and found himself gravitating towards a rack of weapons on the wall. Without thinking, he picked up a sword and activated the Gladiator.

“Start training level one.” Lance had no fucking clue what he was doing, since he had never used a sword before, but he didn't care. He was frustrated and thinking about Keith, and that destructive combination resulted in Lance getting his ass handed to him by a level 1 Gladiator. He'd watched Keith train with his sword whenever he could, which was constantly, and made some sorry attempts at replicating his moves. The sword he'd picked was far too heavy. When he made his first swing at the Gladiator, the momentum caused him to spin around a couple times. He barely had time to regain his balance when the Gladiator knocked him over and pointed the point of its sword to his throat.

Lance grunted, “End training sequence.” The Gladiator dissolved, leaving a very disgruntled paladin to continue his sad excuse for sword training.

After maybe five more tries at the sword training level one, Lance finally gave up. He let out a frustrated yell, throwing his sword on the ground in the process. “Why the hell am I even doing this!? I need to be out there finding Keith! God, what's wrong with me!?”

“Nothing's wrong with you, Lance.” It seemed like the voice came out of nowhere, echoing through the training deck. Lance jumped, whirling around to find the source of the sound. What he saw was Pidge, standing silently against the wall. If they hadn't said anything, Lance would've never noticed them. They were kind of scary that way. Pidge was used to sneaking out of Garrison at night, so they knew how to move quickly and quietly. Allura often called them in for recon missions, and they've always gotten out okay and with the information they were sent to obtain.

“Pidge, what are you-” Lance paused, considering what could've brought them here, “Did Shiro and Allura send you?”

“Don't be ridiculous, I'm here to help you rescue Keith!”

“What?!”

“I know how you feel, Lance”

Oh.

Lance felt incredibly stupid at that moment. How could he possibly forget that Pidge lost their family on the Kerberos mission. Of course they'd help.  
“I'm sorry I just-”

“Shut up and get over here, asshat. Here,” They pointed to the screen of their laptop. It showed a map of the solar system Team Voltron was currently in. “This is the planet we went to this morning. I've been planting tracking chips on some of the Galra soldiers, so we might be able to find Keith based on their locations.” Pidge typed in something and suddenly, a few purple dots appeared on the screen. Some of them were spread out, but there was a large cluster towards the center of the map. “Based on what we have here,” Pidge pointed at the clump of purple, “this is where you'll find Keith.”

“Pidge, I can't thank you enough for this. If Shiro ever found out-”

“Don't mention it, just promise you'll end up kissing or something.”

Lance froze. He was so shocked by what had just escaped Pidge’s mouth, that he could only manage to stutter out a few choice words: “U-uh …. W-w-well….. aw shit.”

A devilish grin spread across their face “Oh come on don't tell me you're going to deny it now! Not after,” Pidge paused, enjoying everything they said, “the incident.”

Well shit. How the hell could Lance forget that Pidge never really slept at all. They probably saw the whole damn thing.

It happened after a late night mission went long, like super long. The team had been chasing down a Galra ship that had raided a nearby planet, taking anything that had looked of value to Zarkon. The ship was small, and had a cloaking device, so everyone went on a wild goose chase for several hours just trying to figure out where the fucking thing was. They were in a pretty big system to begin with, and no one was very enthusiastic about flying in their lions for hours on end. Even Shiro couldn't seem to give any of the other Paladins any words that could boost their stamina. He just kind of made some grunts. After about 5 hours of non stop flying, Lance and Keith had finally located the ship on a forest moon. If they thought finding the ship was hard, then they were in for a real treat when they had to capture it. This involved the two lions flying after the ship as it fired at them, firing their own lasers at the ship, and trying to not crash into too many trees, which ended up being a vain effort. Both boys took some nasty hits, but eventually they'd managed to secure the ship. At that point, everyone was too exhausted to even care about the pilot, so Lance and Keith just went in, knocked them out, got the stuff, then went to drop it off as fast as they could. Coran managed to stay awake long enough to get through the long thank you speech accompanied by any of these types of missions, but ended up only just being able to make it to his room without passing out. Keith and Lance were the last to succumb to their exhaustion, but theirs was the worst. So bad that they didn't even bother taking off their Paladin armor, and ended up both crashing on the couch in the lounge area. Lance couldn't remember all the details of what happened next. All he could recall was waking up the next morning to find Keith sitting on the other end of the couch, his face the color of his red armor.

“So, uh, how about we never speak of that again?” He'd mumbled.

“Wait what happened? All I remember was passing out on the couch.” Lance had replied, confused as to what could've made Keith so flustered.

“Oh, really? Well let's keep it that way.” He'd blurted out as he quickly got up and exited the room. Lance had spent days wondering what the hell had happened that night.

Pidge was more than happy to fill him in.

“So I'm just sitting there on my laptop, y’know, in that corner I'm always in, near the window? So yeah then you two come staggering in like a bunch of zombies! So you both like, throw your helmets off and shit, and like you both just sat down on the couch and you were out cold in like 30 seconds. And then the cutest thing happened! So you had your arm on the back of the couch, like you always do for some reason. And then Keith's head just slowly droops onto your shoulder and like your head ended up on his and it took every ounce of self control in me not to scream right then and there-”

“Okay Pidge, I get it-”

“OH I FORGOT! I took pictures!!” Pidge whipped out something that looked like a smartphone, maybe something they'd whipped up during one of their coffee fueled all nighters at Garrison. They tapped a few buttons and then what popped up was...

The cutest fucking thing Lance had ever seen. He was dozing on the couch with his head leaning against Keith's. Lance’s arm was draped around Keith's shoulders, and Keith's head rested in the crook of his neck. Peaceful grins were on both or their faces, their bodies slumped against each other. It was one of the few times Lance had ever seen Keith completely calm. It seemed to him that this might have been one of the only times Keith had even gotten a full night sleep. He usually went to bed with his shoes, belt, gloves, and all the rest of his clothes still on. He'd never slept easy for fear of a sneak attack. Lance thought it might have to do with how he was orphaned, but he didn't know for sure. Keith never spoke about his parents deaths. Hell, he never even mentioned them at all. Whenever the Paladins started talking about their families and their homes, Keith seemed to magically vanish. Lance couldn't help but think of what could've killed his parents that left Keith so paranoid and distant. It made him frustrated that he didn't know, that he couldn't help him in some way. He wanted to be there for Keith. He wanted to hold him in his arms and shower him with kisses when he was sad. He wanted to be the one he went to sleep with after a nightmare. He wanted to be with Keith forever. Lance let that thought sit in his head, not realizing that his face was now the color of Keith's jacket.

“Oh my god Lance-”

“What are we still doing here?! I have to get Keith! I have to-”

“Okay okay I know, but before you go to the hangar, put this on.” Pidge handed him a strange looking earpiece. When he put it in, it wrapped around his ear and stuck out a bit along his jawline. “This is a communicator I made for when we don't have our helmets. I should be able to hear what you're saying, unless you take it out. Y’know, for reasons,” Pidge raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“PIDGE!”

“Hey, you never know!I'll see if I can figure out what sort of ship the Galra are keeping Keith on and guide you through.”

“Pidge, you have to promise to not tell anyone about this. Allura will have my head if she does.”

“Relax, Lance, I'm not going to tell anyone. Now you'd better get on one of the pods and get out of here before Shiro comes looking for you.”

“Okay. Seriously Pidge, thanks so much for this!”

“Oh one more thing!” Suddenly, a small rectangular object flew through the air towards Lance. He reached out and grabbed it, the cold metal pressing against his hand. It was the music player he and Pidge had built together a while ago. It was during one of his spells of homesickness. Pidge noticed that Lance hummed old music when he felt this way, they proposed that they build something that could bring back some of the days on Earth. Unfortunately for everyone else, Lance’s taste in music ranges from cheesy 80s love songs, to Beyoncé, and worst of all, a shit ton of Abba. Lance remembered how Keith would snicker when he saw Lance belting out “Mamma Mia” in the kitchen. He wondered why the fuck Pidge would give something like this to him for a mission like this.

“Just in case,” Pidge said, giving Lance a wink and a thumbs up as he grinned and started towards the hangar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agh I promise Keith's gonna be in the next chapter. I swear.


	3. A Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance's feelings for Keith grow as he gets closer to rescuing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I had a lot of editing help from @worstbookshelfever on this one, since I tend to write like an idiot at 6 am, so a big thanks for helping me out!

“Lance!”

Pidge's voice came in loud and clear in the headset. There was a frustrated edge to their voice, as if they'd been trying to get Lance’s attention for a while.

“Aagh! What! What is it?!” Lance woke up with a start from where he'd been napping in the pilot seat of his pod. He was curled up in the seat, his arms hugging his knees to his chest. He had serious bed head, and there was drool all over the headrest. He must've fallen asleep with the pod on autopilot, it's coordinates set to the ship’s location. He groggily rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, looking up to see what had made Pidge holler at him like that.

“We're approaching the ship.” Pidge stated matter of factly. What they were talking about was a medium sized Galra ship. It looked mostly like the other ones Lance had seen, all black with purple light radiating from its windows. Except that some of the purple lights were flickering, and some parts of the ship were scratched or patched up with scrap metal. Lance could tell that Zarkon had probably forgotten this ship ever existed.

“Could you find any information about it?” Lance asked, hoping for something that would calm his growing nerves. He wasn't wearing his Paladin armor, since he knew Allura could track it. His bayard hung from his belt, pressing into his thigh uncomfortably as he as up. He was wearing his normal clothes, a white and blue shirt, carve pants, and his green and white jacket, so knew he wasn't exactly prepared for lots of combat. He hoped to get in and get out without either him or Keith dying.

Keith. He could be dead or dying right now, this whole mission could be in vain, but Lance didn't care. He just wanted to see him, to hold him one last time, to finally have that weight he'd been carrying for so long lifted off his chest.

He loved Keith.

“Hey Romeo, you still listening?”

“Oh sorry Pidge, I just zoned out for a second.”

“Is that what you call it?” Pidge snickered. “Anyways, this ship is a smaller command ship, just used to send scouts to uninhabited planets to be used as potential bases. Good news for us, it's highly understaffed since Zarkon’s been putting all his men to take down Voltron. You shouldn't have a problem getting in. There's an empty hangar ahead on your right where you can land. Just check to make sure there aren't any Galra before you do.” They spoke rapidly, as if they'd been hyped up on something.

“Pidge, how long was I asleep?” Lance questioned.

“Oh, I don't know, maybe 5 hours.” Pidge rapidly replied.

“Have you been awake this whole time?!”

“That's not important. On an unrelated note, did you know they have coffee here? It's great!”

“Pidge- ugh nevermind. I'm landing now.” Lance slowly lowered the pod onto the hangar floor, the airlock closing behind him. Pidge was right, the place was severely understaffed, so much so that the hangar doors were automatic, meaning there was no one to ask for a clearance code. Lance hopped out of the pod, stepping lightly towards a hallway ahead of him.

“Okay Lance, I'll try to walk you through to where they're probably keeping Keith. If you run into any trouble, just shoot it.”

“If they're hurting Keith, I'll do much more than just shoot it.” Lance growled, putting meaning into every word. He knew that he wasn't going to get to Keith without something happening, and he was prepared to do whatever it takes to find him. Lance was sure his feelings for Keith weren't new, he's just confused them for something else entirely. He always got so flustered about how he could look so perfect in battle, how he'd mastered the simulators at the Garrison, even how he'd chosen to get kicked out rather than accept that the Kerberos mission failed because of “pilot error”. Lance remembered watching Keith’s crew step out of the simulator, having completed their assigned mission. The Garrison instructor was quick to give Keith praise.

“Wonderful job, Kogane! If only the Kerberos pilot had shown your level of skill! Then, heh, the crew might be alive today!”

Keith looked like he was about to explode. “You're wrong! Shiro was the best pilot the Garrison has ever seen!” Keith stepped towards the instructor, getting in his face. “For you to even think that the mission failed because of ‘pilot error’ just shows what a shitty pilot you would be!” The entire room went dead silent, everyone's eyes on the instructor, wondering what his reaction would be.

He growled, “Principal’s office. Now.” Keith stormed out of the room, fuming. That was the last Lance had seen of him before they'd found Shiro. He'd stayed up late that night, contemplating what could've made Keith do that. The first thing his mind had gone to was that Keith had a crush on Shiro. Lance, being Lance, was immediately jealous and strived to be better than both Keith and Shiro. Of course, he'd always wanted to be better that Keith, but this was different now. He wanted to show that he was good enough for him.

And now, he was willing to go headfirst into a Galra ship with no armor just for the chance that he might be here and alive.

“That's the spirit!” Pidge replied, a sarcastic edge to their voice. Lance rolled his eyes. “Okay so go straight down the hallway in front of you, then take the first left.” Lance crept forward, keeping an eye out for movement. He pressed himself against the wall and peered down the hallway on his left. He expected guards, at least one, to spot him and charge, but was instead met with nothing.

“Hey Pidge, exactly how many Galra are stationed on this thing?” He asked, stepping around the corner and briskly walking down the hall.

“I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't worry so much. This ship’s been inactive in combat for years. Alright, turn right here, and there should be a stairwell up ahead. Go down 4 floors.”

As Lance followed Pidge’s instructions, he couldn't help but wonder why they would've brought a captive Paladin on this shit show ship. He almost snickered when he thought that maybe Zarkon wouldn't believe a crew like this could lay a hand on any Paladins. When he reached the floor Pidge had instructed him to go to, he saw 2 sentinels standing watch in a poorly lit hall. They'd obviously been there a while, and were leaning on their spears.

“I've got 2 guards ahead, is it safe to take them out?” Lance whispered into his communicator.

“I can't see any checkpoints in your vicinity, so go ape shit.”

Lance took out his bayard, transforming it into its blaster form. He fired two quick shots, taking them both out immediately. He lightly stepped to where they'd collapsed, and fired at them a second time to ensure they were dead. If he had to come back this way with Keith, he didn't want them to be here to intercept them. He just wanted to get in, get Keith, and get out without making a fuss.

“All clear, now what?”

“Straight down this hallways there's a couple cells.” Pidge replied

“You think he's in one of them?”

“Well gee, Captain Obvious, where else are they gonna put a prisoner?” Pidge was obviously tired and done with Lance’s bullshit, so Lance decided to keep his mouth shut. He slowly advanced down the hall, the purple lights flickering as he did. Lance thought that these cells can't have been in use recently. All the ones he could see were empty. As he scanned the sides, he saw a flash of red in the flickering light. When he walked towards it, he saw it was Keith's bayard hanging on a hook. He carefully took it down, expecting it to become a sword in his hand.

“I found Keith's bayard, but he's not in any of the cells near it.”

“Well according to my map, there's one cell with a laser grid that's on. It's at the end of the hall.”

Lance’s heart pounded in his chest, his spirits soaring high above him. He sprinted down the hall, not caring if anyone heard him. Keith was here, he knew it. He couldn't wait to see his dumb, cute mullet, his deep violet eyes, his smile that could light up every crappy hallway on every Galra ship in the universe. He couldn't wait to hear his voice, his laugh, booming and sending Lance’s soaring spirits flying higher every day. He loved Keith, and everything in him was beaming at the very thought of his return.

When he reached the end of that hall, his spirits went careening into the ground. His heart dropped into his stomach.

It was Keith, but not as Lance could remember him.

He was sitting in the corner of the cell, hugging his knees tightly to his chest. His mullet was peppered with gray strands of hair. His arms and face were littered with cuts, burns, and bruises. His eyes were shut tight with pain, but opened slightly upon hearing Lance’s footsteps. He raised his head, shaking like a leaf. Lance hadn't realized it before, but this particular hallway was, to put it lightly, really fucking cold. His breath fogged up in front of his face.

Keith's eyes burned with tears when he saw the looming figure in front of him. “P-please, no more. I-I can't take it.” He knew begging with them wouldn't stop them, but it was all he could do.

Lance’s heart spiraled out of control as he rushed toward the cell and blasted the laser grid controls, allowing him to drop to his knees in front of Keith. “Keith, no, it's me, Lance. I'm not gonna hurt you.” Tears poured down his face, the thought of Keith not remembering him making his chest burn, the fire consuming all the hope he'd brought with him.

Keith squinted at him, then his eyes widened in shock as he recognized his friend. “L-Lance?” His voice broke as he threw his arms around Lance, letting his weak body be supported by the arms wrapped around his waist. Both of them were sobbing now, relieved that the other was here with them. The whole ship could've blown to pieces at that moment, but the boys inside would be happy as long as they were in each other's arms. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Keith's head tucked into Lance’s neck. He pulled away to look in Lance’s eyes. “How did you- why did you of all people come and save me?”

“I guess I had to repay you for our bonding moment.” Lance responded, causing Keith to giggle a bit. Lance took off his jacket and draped it over Keith’s shoulders, knowing very well that he needed it much more than Lance did.  
“Are you okay? I mean you're alive, but, you don't- did they hurt you?” Lance asked, his voice wavering, the tears still falling.

Keith chuckled, “Who cares?”

“I do.”

Everything in Lance’s heart was screaming, pushing him forward. He looked into Keith’s incredible violet eyes, and saw his own feelings reflected back at him. And maybe it was the way those eyes were staring back at him, or how Lance could feel Keith's heartbeat suddenly accelerate to top speed, or how fucking hot it was even thought the hallway was freezing, but goddammit Lance was feeling something and that was what was driving him at that moment. He pulled Keith up and closed the distance between their lips, letting his hands support Keith’s body weight. Keith's arms were wrapped around Lance’s neck, his eyes shut tight with a mixture of pain (from his injuries) and love (from the asshole he was kissing). Lance almost couldn't believe it, his heart was screaming, his spirit had taken off once again,

He was kissing Keith Kogane.

And he was kissing him back.

Keith pulled away, resting his head on Lance’s chest. Lance cradled Keith, just now realizing that he wasn’t in any condition to be walking or sitting up by himself or kissing in the middle of a Galra ship. Keith sighed, letting his eyes close and his muscles relax. Lance rested his forehead against his, never wanting to get up or move from this spot ever again.They stayed like that for a while, just taking in what the hell had just happened.

“Um, Lance? I hate to interrupt your little cuddle sesh, but Keith is badly injured and you're in the middle of a fucking Galra prison cell.” Pidge's voice startled both of the boys, Keith's eyes shooting open and Lance almost dropping him.

“Okay Pidge, we'll start making out way back now.” Lance grumbled, pushing himself to his feet. “Keith, can you…” Lance tried to pull Keith to his feet, but he stumbled and fell into Lance’s arms.  
“Welp, I guess I'm carrying you.” Lance remarked as he swooped Keith off his feet and lifted him bridal style.

“Well don't sound so upset, Prince Charming!” Keith spoke, smirking.

“Oh my god, stop flirting and go!” Pidge groaned as if they were annoyed, but Lance could tell they were smiling. Lance couldn't help but be proud of himself. He'd saved Keith and kissed him. And he'd kissed back! That was a win in his book. But when he looked down at Keith, seeing the scratches and cuts, and how thin and sickly he looked, and how he could barely even stand, let alone walk, he wondered to himself:

What the hell did they do to Keith?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst is real. This is my first time writing fluff, or any fic for that matter, so I'm sorry if it's weird.


	4. Blackmail Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance learns more about what happened to Keith, and wants to find a way to help him recover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprisingly proud of this chapter! Some sadness followed by fluff so fluffy you could suffocate in it.

Lance was in a daze as he made his way back to the hangar. He walked down the long hallway back to the stairwell, letting what had just happened fester in his mind.

He'd kissed Keith Kogane. Keith Kogane had kissed him back. And now Keith Kogane was in his arms, his head leaning against Lance’s chest. He almost thought he must be dreaming, that something like this could never happen. Yet, here he was, in enemy territory with the boy of his dreams.

“Lance!” Keith spoke, trying to bring Lance out of his daze. “You good?” Lance just now realized that he'd stopped short of the stairs, still trapped in his thoughts.

“Yeah, just thinking,” He replied, starting up the stairs.

“What about?”

“You,” Lance said, a cheesy grin spreading across his face.

“Sap,” Keith snickered, giving Lance a light punch on the arm. Lance took a left four floors up, retracing his steps with the instructions Pidge had given him. As he was about to make the right turn back to the hangar, he heard voices coming from around the corner. His heart skipped a beat. He froze, gently setting Keith down so he could take care of the Galra that lurked around the corner.

“Stay here,” he said, taking out his bayard.

“Not like I can go anywhere,” Keith muttered.

Lance pressed himself against the wall, hearing several voices engaged in a conversation.

“-he's no good to us dead, we just have to keep trying.”

“If he hasn't broken yet, he won't break now. The Paladins are strong.”

“We can't just give up! Let's just try something different!”

“We've tried everything! Electrocution, the silver room, just beating him up! Nothing's working!”

Lance’s eyes went wide with shock. They'd done all of that to Keith, and he hadn't given them anything? He looked down at him, wondering if he'd heard. Keith was running his hands through his hair, his knees scrunched up to his chest. He stared at the wall opposite him, obviously deep in thought.

“Alright. We'll have the Paladin dead by tomorrow. You'd think he'd be broken by now with all the stuff we did to him.”

“Hey, maybe we'll get him right before he goes. After all, everyone breaks when they know they've lost.”

Rage burned in Lance’s gut, working its way up to his throat. Keith had a way of hiding his emotions from people. He never talked about his family, never opened up about anything, but if he thought no one was watching, he'd let his feelings overtake him. Pidge had told Lance about a time they'd seen Keith sobbing. He almost didn't believe it. Keith Kogane didn't feel pain, and he definitely didn't cry. They'd continued, telling Lance how they were curled up in the corner on their laptop, as they were every night, when they'd heard small, choked off sobs from down the hall. Pidge, being the curious little shit they were, followed the sound to find Keith in the training deck, obviously exhausted, leaning against a punching bag with his head in his hands. At the time, Lance couldn't imagine what would cause Keith to cry like a baby, but the more he thought about it, the more he figured out.

Keith is an orphan, kicked out of Garrison, who'd been sent into space to fight in an intergalactic war. Lance and Hunk and Pidge at least had some had family back home on Earth, even if it wasn't a lot. They'd all spoken about how they're all probably worried sick, laying awake thinking about how their children are missing and could be dead. And then there's Keith. He has no one that misses him. He was alone. Alone from a young age, alone at the Garrison, alone in the desert, and even alone here in space. Lance remembered how Keith's eyes had lit up when he realized that someone was here to save him. How for those moment in that cell it seemed as if he wasn't hiding anything. After that, Lance wasn't sure. On the outside he seemed calm, almost content.

He could be shattered on the inside and Lance didn't even know.

He released the rage pent up inside him, running around the corner at the two Galra that stood there. With a tearful, anger filled yell, he whacked one upside the head with his blaster, then shot the other. The first one charged at him, but Lance was ready. He fired at him what seemed like hundreds of times, not caring that he was dead by the second. There wasn't enough pain in the world he could inflict that would make up for what they did to Keith. Lance felt responsible for Keith’s pain, thinking that he should've gone back for him during the ambush. He started sobbing big, racking sobs, still firing at the Galra that lay dead on the floor. Suddenly, Lance felt something wrap around his waist and press into his back. Somehow, Keith had managed to hobble to where Lance was, and was squeezing the leftover bits of rage right out of him.

“It's not worth it, Lance.” He whispered, leaning into him. Lance dropped his blaster and sunk down to his knees, letting Keith pull him into a hug. He knew this had to be hurting Keith, which only made him cry more.

Keith wasn't very good at comforting people, but he'd seen what Hunk did when Pidge got worked up. He'd squish them in a big bear hug and reassure them that everything was alright. Keith was trying his best, but it's hard to give someone who's sobbing their eyes out a bear hug and tell them everything's alright when you're half dead in an enemy base, but it somehow seemed to be working.

“Hey hey, it's okay Lance, everything's okay.” Keith whispered, rubbing his hand up and down Lance’s back.

“I'm- I’m so sorry Keith,” Lance whimpered between sobs, “I never should've- This is all my fault-”

“Shhh, come on this isn't your fault,” Keith cooed, “You didn't make me get captured or be interrogated by Galra, so stop beating yourself up over this.”

Lance shut his eyes and nodded, tightening his grip around Keith. “Okay.”

____________________________

  
Keith and Lance squished into the pilot seat of the pod, their arms slung around each other. It was a tight fit, and they'd tried in vain to find some way to sit comfortably without resorting to sitting on each other's laps. They ended up with Keith practically sitting on Lance, which even thought they'd kissed moments before still made him uncomfortable. Lance’s eyes were still puffy and red from crying so much, and he was stiff sniffling a bit.

“You gonna be okay?” He asked gently.

Lance avoided his eyes, “Y-yeah, I just… If you don't mind me asking,” he locked eyes with Keith, “What did they- What happened to you?”

Keith froze. He didn't know what to say to that. He knew Lance only wanted to help him, and part of him really did want to open up to him, but what happened to Keith after he was captured was, well,

Terrifyingly painful. The memories came flooding back like water from a broken dam. The flurry of emotions he'd felt swirled in his brain. Nevertheless, he knew that telling Lance might help him in some way; he remembered Shiro saying something about that.

“I...um, well…” Keith, stuttered, not knowing what to say.

“It's okay, take your time,” Lance spoke gently.

“Well,” Keith started, finding ways to keep the terror of what happened from poisoning his thoughts. “I was being reckless. My- my form was sloppy and I guess I just made too many mistakes. Then before I knew it, I was out cold and being dragged into a Galra scout ship. When I came to, I was in an interrogation room. They… They asked me where the Castleship was going next, what our next move was. I resisted, since I'd never give any of you away. But they kept at it and then they-” He paused, trying to force the words out of his throat without bursting into tears. “They… They just tried to destroy me,” Keith broke, tears spilling out of his violet eyes. Eyes that had once been bright and hopeful, now broken and full of sadness. “Physically and emotionally. They would use everything they had to try and get me to talk, every weapon in their armory. But what was worse was they'd threaten all of you. They kept talking about all the ways they'd kill the Paladins. When they got to you, I- I almost broke!” Keith's voice wavered as more tears fell down his face. He buried his head in his hands, trying to mask his racking sobs. Lance pulled Keith into a hug, his head buried in Lance’s shoulder.

He wasn't sure what to do after that. Keith was obviously in pain inside and out, and he wanted help but he didn't know how. Suddenly, he remembered a piece of equipment that became very important at that moment. He took the music player out of his pocket, fumbling, and pressed play. He didn't care what song came on, any of them would do. He just needed something that would take Keith's mind off of the pain he had endured.

 _If you change your mind, I'm the first in line_  
_Honey I'm still free, take a chance on me_

Keith looked up at Lance, confused. Until he realized what Lance was doing.

Keith remembered when Lance had first gotten his music player. He was feeling really homesick for a couple days, and music was how he'd cope with it. The bad part was, Pidge didn't make him headphones, so the music would blast out of the surprisingly small speakers and echo throughout the entire castle. Keith had first heard it when he was training, and Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” isn't exactly the best music for intense sword fighting. Nevertheless, Lance had continued to play his music, much to the dismay and delight of Keith. Lance’s voice was okay at best, but he was an incredible dancer. Keith had watched him dance to “Hips Don't Lie” one time in the kitchen, and he'd considered it a religious experience. In fact, Keith actually made an attempt to memorize some of Lance’s favorites, which was mostly Abba. He actually liked most of them, but he would never tell Lance that.

Well maybe later he would, but now, he would have fun playing along.

“Oh my godddd, Lance whyyyyyyyyyy?” He groaned, trying in vain to keep a smile off his face. Lance grinned, knowing he'd succeeded in making Keith forget his torture, even for a second. He gleefully sang along.

 _If you need me, let me know, gonna be around_  
_If you got no place to go, if you're feeling down._

Lance jumped up from his seat and began dancing around the ship, swinging his hips and arms expertly.

“Really Lance? Of all things to dance to, you picked Abba?” Keith said, his breathing becoming less shaky.

“Oh come on! You know you love it!” Lance shouted, twirling around so much Keith was sure he was gonna vomit. Lance suddenly stumbled, falling on his ass. Keith suddenly found himself in a fit of laughter, doubling over as the song slowly faded out.

“Thanks for that, I didn't know I needed it,” Keith spoke, still recovering from Lance’s pratfall.

“What can I say? Music makes everything better,” Lance replied as the next song began. Keith recognized it immediately, a rush of emotions washing over him. This was his favorite song, why was it on Lance’s music player? When he looked up at him he saw that Lance’s face was engulfed in red.

“Help me up.”

“W-what?”

“I want to dance with you, help me up.” Lance pulled Keith out of the pilot seat, both his arms supporting his waist. Keith, forgetting all his inhibitions, began to sing.

 _You're just too good to be true_  
_Can't take my eyes off of you_  
_You'd be like heaven to touch_  
 _I wanna hold you so much_  
 _At long last love has arrived_  
 _And I thank god I'm alive_  
 _You're just too good to be true_  
 _Can't take my eyes off of you_

What Keith lacked in dancing skills, he made up for with his singing. His voice is like liquid diamond, it's smooth and beautiful, filling the room every time it rings out. This was the first time Keith had ever sang in front of anyone intentionally, so he kept his eyes down, unaware of the red creeping up his neck. He winced as he attempted to step back, actually trying to slow dance with Lance. He gently pulled Keith closer to him, content with just standing there with his arms around him, and Keith's arms around his neck. Lance carefully moved his hand to lift Keith's chin to meet his eyes, as both blushing boys belted out the chorus.

 _I love you baby, and if it's quite alright_  
I _need you baby to warm the lonely nights_  
_I love you baby, trust in me when I say_  
 _Oh pretty baby, don't bring me down I pray_  
 _Oh pretty baby, now that I've found you, stay_  
 _And let me love you, baby, let me love you_

Lance pressed a kiss to Keith's forehead, happy that Keith had calmed down and was comfortable here in his arms.

“That's my favorite song, what's it doing on your music player?” Keith questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Lance’s face suddenly turned bright red, and he became interested in the floor of the pod. “Well I… Um I guess I was watching you train and uh… I heard you singing it so I thought, heh y'know, maybe you liked it and I could… Um…”

“Oh my god you fucking sap!” Keith cackled, almost falling over.

Lance went from embarrassed to completely flustered in no time flat. “Babe! Come on! I was just thinking that you might need it sometime!”

“Wait, did you just call me babe?”

“Oh my god are we like a thing now?! Are we dating is this what's happening?!” Lance as both boys plopped back down into the pilot seat.

“Well, if you wanted to, I guess we could.”

“Y'know, I think that'd be nice.”

Keith curled into Lance as the music player continued to send its music throughout the small pod, allowing the red and blue Paladins just a small moment of peace in their lives that had been taken over with Voltron and Galra and saving the universe. Now that they had each other, they just might make it through.

____________________

Pidge had turned of the microphone on their communicator so Lance wouldn't be able to hear their howling laughter. They'd heard everything, but when Lance started singing goddamn Abba, they just had to start recording it. It's blackmail gold.

“Oh my god, Hunk is gonna love this!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay there's gonna be one more chapter and it'll just be a cute epilogue. The songs are "Take a Chance on me" by Abba and "Can't Take my Eyes Off of You" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

**Author's Note:**

> I promise there's much more fluff in the later chapters! If you want more of this kinda thing, follow me on tumblr, @unicornlasercat.


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